Glorious
by Person4
Summary: It is the first moment that Karolina has thought that maybe she could fall in love with Xavin.


The further they got from Earth, the more doubts Karolina had about leaving. Sure, she wanted to find out more about the world her parents had come from, but when they got there everyone would know that she had come as Xavin's bride even though she's said she wouldn't force Karolina to marry her. Did she really want to face that with somebody she didn't even know when she was already in love with someone else? No matter how beautiful Xavin might make herself for her, it wouldn't matter if they couldn't connect, and if that happened wouldn't it just make things worse for their worlds? 

And right now Karolina couldn't see how they _would_ make that connection, when they hadn't even managed to have a real conversation since leaving the planet. If they couldn't talk when they were alone, how would they manage it with the eyes of nations on them? 

But she didn't ask to turn around, because it would be selfish and horrible of her with the fate of three worlds on the line. More than that (and this was horrible too, because how could something like this be more important than people's lives?) every so often Xavin would say something or look at her in a way that made Karolina think maybe she _could_ fall in love with her. Maybe. 

"There is something I wish to show you." 

Karolina blinked as her train of thought was broken, and turned to Xavin. "Sure," she said. "What is it?" She didn't know where in the small ship they were traveling in Xavin could have hidden any surprises--she'd already poked around in all the nooks and crannies with her permission--and Karolina knew they still had a long trip before they reached the area near their planets so she couldn't be preparing to give her her first sight of them. 

"One moment." Xavin pushed a few buttons on her control panel and the view through what she'd _thought_ were windows suddenly changed. The stars around them were still in the same places, but now they pulsed with brilliant colors, suddenly resembling the pictures of space she'd always seen in the space sections of her science books in elementary school instead of the less colorful reality she'd been gradually getting used to on their journey. For a moment she thought that was what she had wanted to show her, and Karolina was just about to respond when Xavin said, "Now, close your eyes." 

Karolina followed the request, and felt what seemed like a slight turn of the ship around her, though she'd learned by then that if she could feel the movement of the ship at _all_ it must actually be jerking around very sharply. After a few moments she felt Xavin's hand covering hers, just barely touching it as if she was afraid of how Karolina would react to real, solid, contact. "Open your eyes," she said. 

Where before there'd been nothing before them but stars, now in front of them there was something that looked like a brilliantly blooming flower of light in space directly in front of them. "Oh. Oh God," she breathed, her eyes widening. "It's so _amazing._" 

"I believe that on Earth you know this as the Cat's Eye Nebula," Xavin said, then stood and looked down at Karolina, her hand settling a little more firmly on hers. "I hope you don't mind that our trip will be hours longer because I traveled out of the way to bring us here, but I wanted to share it with you. When I first saw you in your true body, I thought of it." 

It was the greatest compliment Karolina had ever received, massively out-ranking Chase's telling her she looked like a burning painting. Her glow turned entirely pink, and her embarrassment over her blush being so obvious in her light-form made it even brighter. "You can't..." she stammered, not even knowing how to _begin_ explaining how wrong that comparison was. "I mean it's so... and I'm just... _me._" 

Xavin's free hand reached up against her cheek and her breath caught in her throat. "You are so beautiful, Glorious One," she said quietly. "In all the time before I met you I had _hoped_... but I'd never truly dreamed a Majesdanian could be so lovely before I saw you." 

Suddenly, dizzyingly, Karolina _knew_ that this moment was their start. Not back on Earth when she'd thought she and Nico were being attacked, not when she'd decided that she would go with Xavin after all, _then_. And that once they got past the awkwardness of first getting to know one and other, it wouldn't really take many more of such moments before she would gladly be Xavin's bride. 

Xavin was leaning down close over her, a necessity when standing since the ship cockpit's ceiling was so low, and with a deep breath Karolina closed her eyes and tilted her face up to her, nervously wetting her lips with her tongue before parting them slightly. 

She was a little amazed at the disappointment she felt when instead of the kiss she'd been expecting Xavin pulled away from her instead, and sat back down in her seat. "We must keep moving." 

"Oh, um, yeah," Karolina said, running a hand through her hair casually, trying her best to look like she hadn't just been waiting for a kiss that hadn't come. "We need to get to Tarnax VII, huh?" 

"In time." Xavin smiled at her as she began taking control of the ship again. "But if you would like to be patient, Magnificent One, the war will wait some little while. Before that, I have wonders to show you along the way." 


End file.
